The 2023-24 basketball season for the Pascagoula Panthers ended on a sour note in March with a loss to Ridgeland in the Class 6A state semifinals that snapped a 29-game winning streak.
Coach Lorenzo Wright believes that loss will serve as motivation on the collegiate level for four members of his team who signed scholarships on Saturday at a ceremony at the PHS gymnasium.
Panthers furthering their hardwood careers are leading scorer and Mississippi High School 6A Player of the Year Dorian McMillian (Jackson State), Chris North (East Mississippi Community College), Markuese Grady (Holmes Community College) and Cle-Darius Ross (Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) as a walk-on.
The four, along with Blake Nettles and Kelon Rich, were leaders for Wright’s dominating team that ran roughshod over opponents for 29 straight wins. The only losses were the first and last games.
“I believe they will use that loss as motivation on the next level. It’s still a bad taste in our mouths,” Wright said.
Wright, who will be entering his ninth season in the fall, said that Saturday was the second time he has had four players sign scholarships.
“It’s a tribute to them and the work they put in,” he said. “Would I have thought they would have gotten this far, yes. Did I expect more out of them, yes. Did we achieve it, no we didn’t.
“To win 29 games in a row, however, is pretty special. Just to see them get the rewards for the work they put in is special to me.”
The 6-foot-3 McMillian was the leader of the Panthers. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He displayed great shooting range, ankle-breaking quickness and explosiveness going to the hole that often had the crowd roaring when he slammed home a monster dunk.
Wright said McMillian’s greatest gift is that he is always in the gym.
“He’s a hard worker,” Wright said. “He’s grown so much since his freshman year when he would only shoot corner threes. Now he’s driving, shooting the jump shot. He gets to the rack. He’s a bull in transition. Being a gym rat will benefit him.”
McMillian said playing college basketball fulfills a goal.
“Sure, it was a goal since I was a kid,” he said.
McMillian said one reason he chose JSU is because it felt like home.
“I had a real connection with Coach Mo (Maurice Williams) and it was like family,” he said.
McMillian said he needs to work on consistency and perfecting his craft and to “stay humble and stay hungry.”
Wright said North, who lost his mother last year, has grown up a lot in the last two to three years. North was Mr. Versatile for the Panthers and often came up with big baskets in the clutch.
“His biggest transition is going from playing multiple roles to basically being a point guard,” Wright said. “Which should help him tremendously. So now he can lock in and focus on one spot.”
North, also 6-3, averaged 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals.
North, like the others. said playing college basketball was a goal.
“I put in a lot of hard work and dedication,” he said. “It was definitely a goal. There are going to be times when you lose hope. As long as you keep your head down, it’s going to happen.”
Wright jokingly said Grady couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time when he came up as a ninth-grader. But a gym-rat mentality enabled Grady, the tallest Panther at 6-5, to become an inside force for the Panthers as a senior, often giving taller opposing centers a rough night under the basket.
He notched 7.8 points a game, 5.6 assists, 1.9 boards and 1.9 blocks. During one game this year, he had three blocks on one opponent’s possession.
“He’s another gym rat, a harder worker, a hard-nosed kid,” Wright said. “His biggest transition is going from playing underneath the basket to moving out to the wing and being able to guard. He needs to work on his shot and be able to put the ball on the floor.”
Grady said he has a lot going through his head.
“From ninth grade to now, it’s a dream for me,” he said. “To make my family proud. I always wanted to play at the next level.”
He said the main thing he needs to work on is getting in better shape.
“Everybody in college is bigger and stronger,” he said. “Got to be prepared to go.”
Wright said Ross, who is 6-1, will need to work on ball handling and being more of a point guard.
“I think he can make that jump,” Wright said. “He needs an extra year. Being able to walk on is going to help him in the long run.”
Ross averaged 4.6 points, 3.3 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals.
He said when he didn’t receive a scholarship offer early, he decided to go to work and “get some money in my pocket. But God gave me an opportunity. So I am going to take it and try to make it my best.”
Joe Davis has been a trainer for the Panthers for years and closely watched the four signees since they were in the ninth grade. He shared some observations about the quartet.
On McMillian: “He realized he was the man and he played like it. I used to kid with him when the game was tight, the guy who’s the guy needs to be involved. This year he wanted the ball in those tight situations.”
On Grady: “To be undersized and do what he did for the team was impressive. He has that it factor. Wherever he goes, he will be that guy who contributes. He may never be that stud, but he will be a difference maker.”
On Ross: “He did everything asked of him. I never heard him complain about how many minutes he played. He knew what his role was and contributed. The ultimate team player.
On North: “Watching North grow over the years was impressive. He understood his role.”
“They played together as a squad,” Davis said. “Winning helped that. When things aren’t going well, you get people bickering. That didn’t happen with this squad.
“Not only are they coached in the gym, they are coached at home, they are coached in the barbershop and other places. Coach (Wright) did a great job of blending these guys together. I think they will do well.”
